JOENSUU, Finland (AP) — Armed with needles and a yarn of wool, teams of avid knitters danced Thursday to the deafening sounds of drums beating and guitars slashing at the first-ever Heavy Metal Knitting World Championship in eastern Finland.

With stage names such as Woolfumes, Bunny Bandit and 9" Needles, the participants shared a simple goal: to showcase their knitting skills while dancing to heavy metal music in the most outlandish way possible.

"It's ridiculous but it's so much fun," said Heather McLaren, an engineering PhD student who traveled from Scotland for a shot at the "world title."...